Crossing Boundaries: Higher Powers
by Hewylewis
Summary: When the clouds of war cover the Zululand, how will Pride Rock fare when it is caught in the middle of staunch imperialism going head to head with a race of warriors?. Chapter 6 added. Please Read and Review.
1. Prologue

**A/N: This story is being co-written by RedSquirrelWriter. It takes place in-between Crossing Boundaries and Crossing Boundaries: Back and Forth. Enjoy.**

All the animals in the area were all assembled at Pride Rock Josh and the others were preparing to leave. Simba and the entire pride were watching them. "We will remember you, always," said Simba with a smile

Josh smiled and said, "And we'll remember you, too."

He and the others were about to bow when Simba interrupted. "Why are you bowing?" then he smiled. "When we should bow to you." then he bowed, then Kiara, then Nala, then Kovu, along with every single animal in the Pridelands.

Josh and the others were speechless at what was going on. Then Rosa ran up to them wearing the Buda necklace Chen gave her. "Goodbye, guys," she said. "And keep safe and...think of me, when you can."

"Of course," said Josh. Soon he and the others were all packed up and ready to leave. And as they walked, the lioness's bowed them a path.

Kiara stepped up to them, along with Nala. "We cannot tell you how grateful we are," said Nala.

"It was our great pleasure for you to stay with us and we enjoyed your company very much," said Kiara.

Then Denzel bent down and hugged Kiara. "Your welcome," he said.

Then Josh bent down and kissed Nala's paw. "Goodbye m'lady," he said. Then he and Denzel got to their feet.

They mounted their horses and waved goodbye. Then they spotted Timon and Pumbaa three feet next to them. "Good luck...g-guys," said Timon. Then he and Pumbaa started blubbering like babies.

"Don't worry fellas," said Josh. "We'll come back someday. But now, we ride!" with a loud hya, Josh's horse reared up and took off like lightning. Chen and Denzel's horses whinnied and followed Josh out into the sunset.

Captain Rogers watched alongside the lions as Josh, Chen and Denzel vanished from sight. But this was no time for tears, for they knew that in a few months time, a war would begin.

Simba sighed heavily as they rode off towards another stage of life. Nala nuzzled him under the chin. "Don't worry, Simba... you were fine when you went away from us."

"I know," Simba said quietly. "It's when I came back that worried me... and the same goes for them."

Rogers turned to Simba, saluted and asked, "Permission to stay sir?"

Simba nodded slowly, but he was a little unsure of the decision. "Are you certain, Captain Rogers?" he asked somberly. "We do not get too many human visitors out here."

Rogers smiled. "Well, seeing as how I repaired the queen's legs, I might be of some use to you as a doctor for when the war begins."

Simba nodded slowly. "Yes... yes, that would be very useful to us all. We thank you for this honor."

Rogers once again saluted. "Thank you, your majesty." He then picked up his belongings. "Shall I set up a tent near the rock?"

Simba nodded again. "Yes, that would be fine," he said with a wry smile.

"Yes sir." Then, Rogers turned to Nala and nodded. "Your highness."

Nala nodded back. The rest of the day would be peaceful. But within a few months, peace would be a thing of the past.


	2. Burying Burton

Fifteen minutes later, Rogers walked down to the bottom of Pride Rock. There, sprawled out on the ground with a blood stain on his heart, was his former general. Rogers couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Burton.

He sighed. "Oh sir," he said. "You could've been a great leader. Instead, you murdered innocent villagers, lied to your troops and imprisoned a royal family. Where did you go wrong?"

Simba came up around the bend towards Rogers. He knew what he was doing, and was glad to see that Burton was finally going to the ground where he belonged. "Are you ready?" he asked simply.

Rogers sighed and grabbed Burton's arms. "He was still my commanding officer and deserves a proper burial." He then began to drag Burton's carcass away from Simba's home. Burton's feet dragged against the dirt, making a trail as it was being dragged.

Simba followed alongside, trying not to look at the dead body. "I have to tell you how grateful we are for your graciousness," he said quietly. "Your trustworthiness will be a boon to this pride."

Rogers smiled. "Think nothing of it, Sire. I just hope I am as accepted as Josh and the others were." Soon, He dropped Burton onto the hard ground where no grass grew. Rogers looked around and chuckled a bit. "Damn, I forgot my shovel."

Simba immediately came forward. "It's all right," he said. "I can do the digging." He looked at the ground as he put his paws to work. "My father... he would have wanted me to respect my enemies, no matter how horrible they were."

"You have OTHER enemies? Who are they?" Rogers then sat down and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.

Simba shrugged. "I had other enemies, yes. My own uncle Scar. He murdered my father and chased me from the kingdom. I had a paw in his death on my return. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if anger and vengeance hadn't ruled that day... but there was little choice."

Rogers nodded. "I see." He then looked at Burton. "Sounds very familiar." Soon, Simba was done with the hole. Rogers got up and picked up Burton's body and placed it gently into the hole. He then put his large handkerchief over Burton's face, to keep the dirt out. "There. The deed is done."

Simba nodded slowly and began piling dirt back over the body. "Thank you, Rogers," he said. "For everything you've done."

Rogers raised a brow. "What did I do that was so good? I helped kill this man." He sighed. "I feel like a murderer."

Simba nodded. "That's the way I felt after Scar died. But I realized that certain things do have to happen. Scar was a tyrant, and it's in bad taste to celebrate the death of anything. But while he lived he would have gone deeper into madness and encouraged more death. I'm afraid Burton here would have taken the same path."

Rogers nodded. "Your right." He then turned towards the pile of dirt that Burton was under and saluted. "A moment of silence, please." Indeed, there was a moment of silence, a long moment of silence. Rogers then put his hand back down. "Shall we go back, sire?"

Simba nodded. "Yes, let us return," he said, heading back to Pride Rock with a quickness in his step. He doesn't enjoy being around graves.

"I must warn you Simba, this war won't be anything like the battle last night or the one before that... It'll be much worse." Rogers hung his head

Simba sighed heavily. "I am well aware of that, Rogers," he said quietly. "They have guns, we only have claws. I'm not sure how we can fight them effectively this time."

Rogers smiled. "At least we'll have the Zulus helping us out."


	3. City on the Walls

The next day, Rogers was up and about. He has set up a tent just out near the edge of Pride Rock, he felt he wasn't worthy enough to sleep inside with the royal family just yet. He was dressed in black pants, boots, and a white buttoned shirt. He exited his tent and covered his eyes from the bright sunlight. He was going to see the king and queen inside their 'castle,' as he put it.

He was suddenly greeted by the young lioness cub, Rosa. "Oh," he said. "Good morning, little girl."

Rosa glanced up at the older man, smiling widely. "Hey, mister!" she said happily. "Going to see king Simba? I'll come with you!" She hopped up next to him. "Been out here all day... gettin' boring, you know."

Rogers chuckled. "I see what you mean." He then raised his eyebrow. "You wouldn't happen to be princess Rosa, would you?"

Rosa blinked and looked up at Rogers. "A' course I am!" she said, as if rather offended by the question. "Everyone calls me princess Rosa. Cause I'm important!" She started loping in small circles, grinning to herself. "One day I can do more... not today though."

"Josh told me about you, and he was right. You're very pretty."

Rosa smiled again. "I know!" she said cheerfully. "But thanks for sayin' it anyway. I like hearing it. Come on, let's go! We gonna see the king, or what?"

"Alright, alright. Calm down." Rogers chuckled as he followed Rosa inside the den. As he entered, he saw Simba and Nala and walk up towards them. He bowed, respectively. "Good morning your majesties."

Simba and Nala, being lions, were unfortunately asleep. That was rectified when Rosa ran up and starting chanting "Grandpa, grandpa, grandpa!" to wake them up, prancing up and down on their bodies and tugging on their ears.

Simba was first to awaken, Nala only rolling away and batting the air with her paws. "Urgh... is it past noon yet?" Simba muttered.

Rogers bowed again. "Morning, sire."

Simba looked up at Rogers as Nala finally woke up from Rosa's pestering. "Rogers," he said with a loud, roaring yawn. "Good morning... what is the purpose for waking us? The day's barely half done, the hunting parties aren't supposed to go out for hours yet..."

"Just checking up on my patient." He then turned to Nala. "How are your legs feeling today, my queen?" Nala's front legs still had casts on them

Nala yawned as well. "Well enough," she remarked. "I can sleep, which is a good sign... until our precocious princess woke us up," she said with a smile and a lick over Rosa's head.

The cub sputtered and rubbed away Nala's lick. "Aww, I'm clean enough already..."

Rogers chuckled. "Sorry I woke you. I forgot that lions like to sleep long hours." Once again, he bowed. "Please forgive me, sire."

Simba shook his head. "It's all right, Rogers... and stop calling me sire. It's bad enough half the kingdom already does it... the other half will barely talk to me for fear of offending their 'great king,'" he said with a smirk.

"I'm sorry sir, but I am a British gentleman. And as such, I must address my king as your majesty." Rogers shrugged his shoulders. "I hope you understand."

Simba chuckled quietly and nodded. "Alright, alright Rogers... but I'll have you know it's not something I'll grow accustomed to easily."

Rogers nodded. He then looked around. "Is your daughter off hunting?"

Simba glanced around and nodded. "Seems so... she always wants to get going so she doesn't have to ask permission. She hates that."

"Don't we all."

Rosa walked up and looked curiously at Rogers.

Rogers bent down to look at her. "What is it, my dear?"

Rosa looked around cautiously, and then leaned forward. "Mister Rogers... what's British?" she asked carefully.

Roger's chuckled. "Well, British means one that is from England, otherwise known as Great Britain. I am from England and therefore British."

Rosa still looked confused. "But... what's England? I've never seen an England! Do they have lion kings there, too?"

Rogers raised an eyebrow. He then turned back to Simba. "Didn't Josh, Chen or Denzel tell you anything about England?"

Simba looked around and shrugged. "Some, yes... but they didn't really get into any deep discussions with us about it."

"Hmm..." Then Rogers was struck with inspiration. "How would you like to see it?"

Simba and the others perked up at that. "See it?" Rosa asked. "Sure! Which way is it? Is it far? Can we go, grandpa? Please?"

Simba chuckled at Rosa. "Of course, dear... Rogers, surely you aren't suggesting actually going there, though?"

Rogers smirked. "I'll take you there without you ever leaving Pride Rock. Be right back." Rogers then quickly ran out of the den.

Simba blinked a few times, and looked at the others, who had no idea what he was talking about. "What do you suppose he meant by that?" Nala asked.

A few minutes later, he returned with a box, a rolled up piece of paper, and a strange wooden and metal box on stilts.

He then unrolled the paper, revealing a map of the world. He then laid it on the ground.

The lions jumped back at the sudden flop of paper on the ground, jaws dropping as they looked it over. "What... is it?" Rosa asked.

"This is a map of the world we live on," answered. He then pointed to a large continent that seemed to be the second largest on the map. "This is your home, Africa."

The lions looked around at the map, blinking and turning around as they look it over. "It is?" Rosa asked. The lions looked very confused, obviously not being able to comprehend that there was a world beyond what they could see outside. It was hard to picture it in their heads.

Roger pointed to a small country within the continent. "This is where you are. Kenya. Pride Rock is located right under my finger."

Simba and the others looked at each other, and then back at the map. "Wow... we're smaller than your finger?!" Rosa asked excitedly. "Can I see myself on this thing?"

Rogers chuckled. "No you can't. This is just a map. The real world is much bigger. Any questions?"

Simba hmmed to himself. "Where is this England that you were all talking about?"

Rogers smiled. "England is right…… here." He pointed to a large country which had an even smaller one next to it. "The smaller one next to is Ireland."

Simba followed Rogers' finger as it went between the different countries. "How... far away are they?" he asked, a little dazed by trying to imagine the shapes and distances involved in reading a human map.

"Probably about a few hundred miles. Maybe even a thousand." Roger then pointed to a large black dot. "That's the capitol, London. It's where I live."

The other lions were still too mesmerized by the confusing lines and squiggly shapes to formulate an answer.

"You want to see it?" asked Rogers.

Simba looked up at Rogers. "Aren't we seeing it now?" he asked, somewhat confused as to their perspective.

"Of course." Rogers then set up the strange wooden and metal box on it's stilts. It was a slide projector. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a match box and a match. He struck the match and lit the candle inside the projector. A large white circle appeared on the den wall.

The lions ooh'd and ahh' as the projector suddenly cast light without any seeming effort. "How does it do that?" Rosa asked, apparently amazed by the simple object.

"Its just the candle inside." He then opened the small box and took out a slide. He then placed the slide into the projector, projecting a black and white image of London on the wall."

Simba shook his head. "You don't understand, Rogers. We've never been able to control fire to that kind of degree... this is amazing!" he said, watching the image on the wall.

"Almost as good as Rafiki's paintings..."

Rogers chuckled. "That's technology for you." Then he pointed to the picture. "Now this is London. That tall tree there is actually a clock tower. We like to call it Big Ben."

Simba and the others were spellbound by the pictures on the wall. They say nothing, allowing Rogers to do all the talking. Some of them almost look like they don't believe such things can exist.

Rogers then took out the slide and replaced it with one of a large building. "And this is Buckingham Palace, where the queen lives."

Nala tilted her head at the mention of the queen's palace. "It... doesn't look like somewhere I'd want to live," she said slowly. "I'd prefer Pride Rock to all that..."

"Well a queen like ours like to live in luxury. To her, Buckingham Palace is as comforting as your home here." Rogers then switched to a picture of several humans dressed in red uniforms and furry black hats. "Now a queen needs protection. These gentlemen are her royal guards. Don't try to make them laugh, you'll be trying for weeks. They are quite good at their job."

Rosa giggled at the large hats. "They look silly! I'd laugh at myself if I had one of those!"

Rogers smiled. "Alright. I'll try to bring one back for you, Rosa." Rogers once again switched the pictures with that of a large bridge. "Now this is London Bridge. There's a song that goes with it."

Simba tilts his head curiously. "A... bridge? You built it?" he asks, unable to believe most of this. "How? Why? And why sing a song about it?"

"Yes, we built it. So people can cross the river without getting wet. As for the song, it's just a nursery rhyme. It goes.."

London Bridge is falling down,  
Falling down, Falling down.  
London Bridge is falling down,  
My fair lady.

"All in good fun, sire."

Simba nodded carefully. "So I see," he said with a small smile. "We lions don't sing so much with words as we do with our voices alone... we'd give a demonstration, but I think it'd be a little hard on the ears in this small space."

Rogers nodded. "I see."

The last picture Rogers showed them was that of a middle aged woman in royal robes. "This is Queen Victoria, ruler of England."

Rosa ohhh'd at the voluminous robes. "She looks so... like Grandma!" she said, turning back to Nala, who smiled graciously.

"Rosa, now, it's not nice to compare us."

"You're both queens though... she's a queen. I know what queens look like!" the cub said happily. Nala only nodded.

Rogers burst out with laughter. "Oh Rosa, you're too much!"

Simba put a paw around Rosa and drew her closer to him. "Let Rogers speak," he said quietly.

Rogers waved his hand. "It's alright, Sire. I'm finished." He then blew out the candle and the picture vanished from the wall. "So, what did you all think?"

The others all began talking at once, until Simba silenced them with a look. "It was intriguing," he said slowly. "But I'm afraid some of us are going to need time to let this all sink in... you must understand, until recently we still believed this was the only world we'd ever see."

Rogers nodded. "I understand, Sire. Four hundred years ago, Europeans thought the world was flat."

Simba seemed confused. "Flat? What shape is it, then?" he wondered aloud.

"Round."

The other lions seemed perplexed and talked to each other for a while. It seemed they couldn't comprehend the entire "world" as it were, after only seeing only flat grassland all around for the entirety of their lives.

"Like you said, Sire, You'll get used to it. So, no more questions?"

The lions looked around at each other, and each of them shook their heads slowly, most looking just confused at all the new information.

Rogers then took his belongings and bowed. "Then I bid you good day sir. If you need me, I shall be in my tent." He then walked out of the den.

When Rogers had made his way out of the den, there came the sound of small paws behind him. "Hey mista Rogers!" Rosa called out as she approached him. "Wait up!"

Rogers turned to see the young lioness cub run up to him. "Yes?" he asked, bending down.

Rosa came up in front of him and cleared her throat. "Umm... I wanted to ask about the queen back in... Ing-land," she said slowly. "What's she like? Didja ever meet her? Is she really like grandma?"

"Why yes, I did meet her. She's very kind and gentle, and she loves all of her subjects."

Rosa nodded confidently. "Yup. That's grandma!" she said happily. "What's your favorite thing about England?" she asked immediately after.

Rogers smiled and sighed. "I love the seaside. Waves lapping against the shore, seagulls chirping in the breeze. The white cliffs of dover... all so beautiful."

Rosa tilted her head inquisitively. "What's a seagull?"

"A white bird that flies over the water."

Rogers then raised an eyebrow. "You certainly ask a lot of questions."

Rosa nodded again, looking happy with Rogers' conclusion. "Mom says I do too, but she likes it! She tells Dad all the time, 'how's she going to learn answers if she doesn't ask questions?'"

"I agree. Well, good day princess." He then bowed and entered his tent.


	4. Around the Fire

It was around noon. Simba had Nala leaning against him as he was walking her to Rogers' tent.

"Well," Simba said cheerfully, "Today's the day you can finally start to join the hunt again, Nala."

"Assuming my joints don't complain too much," the lioness muttered. "I'll be glad to finally have these contraptions off..."

Just then, Rogers stepped out of the tent. "Good day, m'lady," he said smiling. "Ready to have your casts removed?"

Nala nodded eagerly. "The sooner the better."

Rogers stepped out of the way and bowed. "After you."

Nala stepped into the tent.

Rogers gestured for Nala to hop on the examination table, which she did. He then took out a small knife and began to cut through the cast on Nala's right leg. Soon, the pieces of the casts fell off. Rogers then proceeded with the left leg. Rogers then took her left paw into his hand. "Alright, Nala. I'm going to perform a few tests to see if your legs are fully healed." He then pressed her paw inwards. "Does this hurt?"

Nala shook her head. "Barely if any. It sort of twinges."

Rogers nodded. He then pressed his thumbs on her leg bones. "Hmm, bones seem fully healed. Does it hurt?"

Nala shook her head.

Rogers smiled. "Good. Then you are ready to go hunting again. But don't do anything too dynamic, the bones are still a little brittle."

Nala sighed. "Brittle... why don't I like the sound of that?"

Simba smiled and went forward to nuzzle her. "It's the way of the Circle, Nala. We all grow old sometime." Nala only grunted.

Rogers chuckled. "Speaking of which, I've noticed your granddaughter has matured a bit. When I first met her, she'd of been eight years old if she were human. Now she acts like she's twelve."

Simba looked up to him. "She's going to be a very fine lioness when she grows up. Watching her grow will be one of the best things to do in our twilight years."

"Aye. And when they grow older, they'll wish they were young again. I know I do."

Nala smiled. "That is how it always is for us."

Rogers peeked out at the sun. "Shouldn't you be out hunting?"

Nala raised an eyebrow. "Pardon doctor," she said playfully, "but _you _were the one who just told me not to do anything too dynamic. Kiara should be out there somewhere, if she isn't frolicking with _your_ son-in-law," she said with a joking glance at Simba, who shrugged innocently.

Rogers chuckled. "Its alright, I'll stay with you while the others go hunting, okay?"

Nala nodded simply. "That will be fine..."

Simba turned to her. "I'm glad you realize this." he said. "I won't be having my mate running around breaking her legs all over again."

Rogers laughed aloud. "Go on, the antelope won't hunt themselves you know."

Simba stood up. "Actually, we have a full hunting party... Vitani will be happy to know that she'll be in charge this time..." He walked out to notify them.

------------

Later that afternoon, Rogers was smoking a pipe outside his tent when the hunting party returned with a dead wildebeest in Vitani's jaws. He turned towards Pride Rock and shouted, "Dinner's here!"

The lions who had stayed behind filed out, Rosa jumping around between their legs.

Rogers joined the group, still smoking his pipe. He looked at the carcass, wondering if there was enough fr im to cook. "May I have some, sire?" he asked Simba.

Simba looked over to Rogers, and then at the kill. He had already started eating. "Once the lionesses get their share, yes. You can divvy it up with them."

Rogers gulped, fearing what the lionesses might say... or do. He then went back to the area near his tent and began to make a camp fire to cook his meat. A few seconds later, a spark was lit and soon there was a roaring fire.

Rosa suddenly appeared next to Rogers. "Hey..." she said quietly. "How do you do that?"

Rogers turned to Rosa. "I'll show you." He then picked up two sticks. "See these two sticks? If I rub them against each other hard and fast enough..." Rogers began to rub the two sticks together. Soon, they began to smoke and a small flame was born. "Tada!"

Rosa seemed astonished, her mouth dropping open. "Wow... you're even better than Rafiki!" she said with a proud smile.

Rogers chuckled. "Well Rafiki does magic, I just use outdoors man skills. Its quite simple, actually." Just then, his stomach growled

The lionesses were now devouring their fair share of the kill, ripping it to pieces. Vitani shouted over. "Hey! Doc! Aren't you gonna come and get some?" she said, her muzzle disturbingly bloody.

Rogers breathed a sigh of relief and went over to the kill. "Thank you," he said as he cut off some meat with his knife. Still, the sight of blood on the lions' lips was a bit disturbing. He almost went pale at the sight. He shook off the feeling and went back to cook his meat. He took a stick and used it as a spit to roast the chunk of meat. He looked up at the sun, which was beginning to set. "Isn't the sun beautiful when it sets out here?"

Rosa sniffed at the meat Rogers was cooking. "Yeah... kinda I guess," she said, chewing on some meat she had retrieved. "I see it every day out here, though."

"You are a very lucky girl. The skies in England are never like this. They're always gray."

Rosa sniffed. "Gets gray here too," she said. "During the rainy season. I don't like the rain much... but it does make things green."

Rogers nodded. Suddenly he smelled something. He saw that his meat had caught fire. He panicked and quickly tried to put it out, chuckling all the while.

Rosa sniffed at the strange meat. "Why do you have to do that?" she asked. "Seems kinda silly. Fire usually just hurts."

Rogers turned to Rosa. "Well, we humans can't eat raw meat because it makes us sick. So we cook it so we are able to eat it."

Rosa tilted her head. "Weird," she said simply. "How's it taste?"

Rogers offered her a piece. "Here, try it."

Rosa shook her head and stepped away. "Naaah... Dad might get upset if I eat weird meat," she said. "And Vitani says I gotta learn to eat _real_ meat if I wanna be a proper hunter."

Rogers rolled his eyes and decided to use reverse psychology. "Alright, but you don't know what you're missing." He then took a bite out of the cooked meat.

Rosa continued to watch him eat, curious about the meat, but certain that she doesn't want to eat it in any case. Vitani, who's trying to make her a "proper" huntress, wouldn't like it too much.

"Back where I come from, women are the ones who stay at home, clean the house and prepare the meals. Its us men who bring the food home."

Rosa looked around at Pride Rock. "What's there to clean up?" she wondered. "Maybe you guys shouldn't live in houses so much."

Rogers just chuckled and continued eating. He then turned to Kiara and Nala. "Have you seen the Zulu's while out on your hunt?

Kiara and Nala looked up from eating and shook their heads. "Only glimpses. They mostly stay away from our hunting grounds... "

Robert raised a brow. "Why? Are they scared of you?"

Nala nodded once. "Many lions, mostly rogues, have a habit of attacking their cattle when they can't find anything else. They retaliate by chasing out lions when they see them... we're too numerous for them to try."

"What about Lebo's tribe? He trusts you."

Kiara nodded happily at that. "At least they do, yes."

Rogers nodded. "And we'll have allies." He then began to whistle 'London Bridge'.

Rosa listened for a moment, and then began to hum along to Rogers' tune.


	5. Elephants and Whistles

August, Five more months had passed in the Pride Lands. It was early morning. Rogers was fast asleep inside his tent. He felt something caress his face. Slowly he woke up and was startled to see a small elephant trunk peeking through the tent opening. "Whoa!" he cried. "Simba!" Rogers quickly threw his pants on and ran outside to see that the trunk belonged to a baby elephant that wondered away from it's herd, which was passing by Pride Rock. "Oh my god. Sire, sire! Come look at this!"

Simba woke up slowly, opening his eyes as he heard shouting nearby. He had been having a good nap on a nice sunny rock... "Rogers?" he mumbled. "What is it? Hyenas?"

"No, elephants! A whole herd!" The baby elephant was still trying to grab onto Rogers, playfully. Rogers waved his hands to shoo away the baby. "Go on, shoo! Shoo! Go back to your mum."

Simba sat up and stretched in the sunlight. He quickly saw the herd passing by, and the baby elephant 'attacking' Rogers.

Simba sighed and got up, moving towards the baby elephant, chuffing to get the attention of the herd and let them know a little one had wandered off. He had to learn not to get so close to lions... not all of them would be friendly.

The baby elephant turned to see Simba. But instead of running, he thwacked him with his trunk, playfully.

Rogers burst out laughing.

Simba looked at the little elephant and shook his head smiling. "Little one," he said, "don't you know you're away from your herd?"

The elephant only trumpeted happily, until his mother came up. "Sire!" she said. "I am so sorry for what has happened! My little one has yet to learn to speak, let alone discipline."

"It's alright, Madam," said Rogers. "The little tyke wasn't too much trouble."

Simba nodded graciously, pawing at the little elephant's trunk as it came up again. "It's perfectly fine, Siombe. But it would be good if you reminded him that lions don't always make the best playmates."

"Of course, sire," Siombe said, bowing and apologizing profusely. She allowed her child to take hold of her tail. "Come, Sulubu," she said, and headed back to the herd.

Simba turned to Rogers. "Days like this remind me being a king isn't all politics and threats," he said.

"It can be down right funny sometimes!" Rogers said, chuckling some more. "You sure know how to treat your subjects."

Simba smiled. "When my father taught me everything is connected, it gets much easier to respect other creatures."

Rogers nodded. "May I have your royal permission to escort your lionesses on the hunt today, sire? I'd like to try my hand at it again, unlike last time."

Simba shook his head. "Rodgers, you're a doctor, not a killer. Let the lionesses handle their duties, while you tend to yours. Vitani and Kiara can be... competitive. I wouldn't be surprised if they came home with some kind of injury."

"You allow them to hurt each other?"

Simba shook his head. "I mean they each want to get a kill first. And that might mean they would mess up. They'd never attack one another."

Rogers nodded. "So, Rosa's practicing to hunt now? She's only a few months old, isn't it too early?"

Simba shakes his head. "They have to start some time. And anyway, she's starting out small. I won't send her after hippos, or anything."

"Oh, alright. May I accompany them?"

Simba shrugged. "I don't see why not. But Rosa will need to concentrate with absolute focus to do well. Take care you don't disturb her or her instructors."

Rogers bowed. "As you wish, sire." He then went to join the hunting party.

--

Later that night, everyone in the pride was fast asleep. Rogers even slept peacefully in his tent. Suddenly, a loud but strange sound was heard.

_WOO-WOO!_

Simba and the other lions jerked awake. "What on earth was that?!" Simba shouted as the lionesses ran out to investigate. They looked about, but saw nothing. And still the noise was heard.

_WOO-WOO!_

The lions began looking around wildly, trying to discover the source of the noise. "Spread out!" Simba said. It sounded like it was coming from afar, but it was hard to tell.

"Its only a train."

Simba turned to see Rogers standing near his tent door, dressed in his night clothes and robe, smiling. He walked up to Rogers. "Train...?"

"Sometimes known as the 'Iron Horse', because of its speed. It's a machine that runs on steam and pulls many coaches. Some humans use it as a mean of transportation."

Simba hmmed quietly and glanced in the direction of the noise. "Do they make those noises often?"

Rogers nodded. "That's its whistle. It sounds to let others know it's coming. By the sound of it, it must be miles away."

Once again, the sound was echoed.

_WOO-WOO!_

Rogers put a finger to his chin. "Must've built the railroad a few weeks ago."

Simba seemed a little discomfited. "It's very... loud," he said slowly. "It might scare many of the animals in the lands. Maybe even frighten the herds away."

"Well then, they might have to get used to it. It's gonna be running every day and night."

Simba sighed and shook his head. He was too tired to deal with this. "First guns, and now trains..." he muttered as he returned to the Rock.

"Soon there will be no guns, and peace shall once again return." Rogers then yawned. "Goodnight, sire."


	6. Encounter with the Iron Horse

Rosa and the rest of the lionesses were out today on a practice run for hunting. It had been decided that the youngster had been sheltered enough, and so the small group of huntresses were going out on an official hunt, preparing their young charge for when she would support the family. Rogers was not with them, for this was something Rosa had to do on her own. Kiara and Nala were there for moral support.

"Now I want you to be very careful out on this hunt, okay?" Kiara instructed.

Rosa nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I will," she said, not really paying attention. She was too excited about the whole idea to focus.

"Rosa, please pay attention. It's dangerous to hunt." Kiara turned to Nala. "Why doesn't she pay attention, I'll never know."

Nala chuckled quietly. "Now, Kiara. You weren't exactly a model student yourself when you began. If I remember correctly, you got yourself into quite a bit of trouble with Kovu." She called to Rosa, who perked up at her voice. "Rosa, come closer to the main group. We only split up when the prey is in view."

Just then, the lionesses in the front spotted a small heard of gazelle, grazing about fifty feet away. "Shh!" said one of the lionesses. "Keep quiet."

The lionesses ducked down into the grasses, Rosa following suite after Nala dropped a paw onto her back to force her down. "You all know what to do," she said quietly. "Spread out and follow our regular strategy. Rosa, you have a good vantage point. Stay here, don't make a sound, and watch."

Soon, the lionesses slowly crept up towards the heard as Rosa watched with anticipation.

She saw that her mother was about ten feet away from a young male. She shifted her shoulders, flattened her ears, and pounced.

The chase began at once, and the lions fanned out to herd the gazelle and break them up, searching for that one infirm creature that would satisfy their bellies. Things were going well and Rosa's side of the chase was holding up well. Abruptly there was a cry of pain and Kiara went down, flopping onto her belly. "Wait!" she called out to the others, finding that she couldn't move her leg.

Rosa and the other lionesses ran up to her. "Are you alright, mom?" asked Rosa.

Kiara gasped with pain as she tried to move. "No, my paw... it's _stuck..."_ Her eyes widened as she looked behind her. Her hind paw was fully jammed into rail tracks that ran uninterrupted through the grass. "Get me out of here," she said, a trace of fear in her voice. She might have broken something...

Rosa turned to Nala. "Grandma, help me grab her leg, or something!"

Nala nodded and grabbed onto Kiara's leg with her jaws.

Rosa began to worry as Nala tried to pull Kiara's leg out. "Please don't rip it off Grandma."

"AH!" Kiara yelped. "It's stuck fast... I think it's broken. Try to... separate these things and loosen it up."

Nala raised an eyebrow. "What are these anyway?" she asked.

Kiara shook her head. "I don't know... but it's starting to hurt, really bad!"

Rosa turned to Nala again. "Grandma, what do we do?" she asked.

Nala sighed and looked around at the injury. "I... don't know. Perhaps if we tried to twist her leg just slightly and work it out slowly..."

"Are you okay with that, mom?"

Kiara nodded. "I am... if it'll get me out of here."

Rosa nodded and turned to the other lionesses. "Come on!" Then she grabbed Kiara's ankle again. "Ready mom?" she asked, her mouth muffled.

The other lionesses prepared themselves, and Kiara nodded quickly. "Let's get this over with."

"Okay on the count of three."

Nala started. "One... two...!"

Suddenly, a whistle was heard in the distance. 'WHOOOO!'

Rosa let go of her mother's leg and jerked up to see what it was. She saw a small smoke trail far in the distance. It was a train that Rogers had told them about. "Grandma, look."

Nala stood up and glanced at the train. "It's not coming towards us... I think it's safe," she said quietly. "Hurry everyone! We don't want hyenas or the like coming along."

Rosa shook off the feeling and went back to Kiara.

Suddenly she heard the train whistle again. 'WHOO WHOO!'

"Wait," said Rosa. "That sounded louder that time!"

The other lionesses stood up, and Nala's eyes went wide. "Oh no... it's turning towards us!"

"What?!" Kiara yelped, and started to panic. "Hurry! Get me out! Hurry!"

Rosa then understood what the tracks were. "Oh no. The tracks... the train runs on them!!"

She quickly put Kiara's leg in her jaws. "Pull!" She then tugged as hard as she could to free her mother.

The lionesses, now growing desperate, grabbed onto whatever part of Kiara they could and pulled. Kiara yelled. "It hurts!"

"Don't stop!" Nala said sharply. "Better to lose a paw than be crushed!"

The giant black locomotive came closer and closer towards the lionesses. Steam shot from its sides and the whistle blew loudly into the air. "WOO WOO!"

Rosa stopped pulling eventually and watched in horror as the train came closer towards them. "Oh my."

Suddenly, there was a loud screeching noise that filled the air. Rosa was stunned, the train was slowing down. Then it stopped two feet in front of them.

The lionesses were frozen in absolute shock at the giant metal monster just before them. It was colored black and it towered over them as if it were biding its time. Steam slowly emerged from its sides as a slow deep metallic moan was heard from the bowels of the 'Iron Horse'.

The lionesses watched in terror at the giant monstrosity before them. Two of them suddenly bolted out of pure fright, while the rest merely watched to see what the thing would do next.

Just then, something emerged out of the locomotive. It was a human man, dressed in grey suspenders and a striped hat. Soon, another, more dirty man covered in soot followed him. They slowly approached the lionesses.

The lionesses seemed startled by the appearance of the men, and a few of them snarled involuntarily. The rest only watched with a mixture of curiosity and alertness.

"It seems this old girl has her foot caught in the rails," said the man in suspenders.

"Should we help her out?" asked the soot covered man.

The man in suspenders nodded. "Looks like it. Come on."

The lionesses looked back and forth between each other, and formed up around Kiara. But she chuffed at them, making them part again and allowing the men to go to work, but the remaining lionesses, excluding Rosa, regarded the humans with heavy suspicion

The man with suspenders grabbed onto Kiara's leg as the dirty man held down her head. Slowly, the man in suspenders twisted her leg and pulled it out from the rails. "There we go," he said, slowly backing away in case the lionesses attacked him.

"I still say we should've used the cow catcher," said the dirty man as he too backed away.

Soon, they climbed back into the locomotive, where it was safe. The whistle blew two quick times and slowly began to move again.

Kiara and the other lionesses retreated to a safe distance, watching the train leave. They all heaved a sigh of relief. "Grandpa's will be happy to hear this," Rosa remarked.

More humans were seen in the coaches of the train, with looks of amazement and wonder on their faces. A littler girl waved at the lionesses as they passed by. Soon the train was far from sight, with the whistle still blowing as it disappeared.

--

Later, back at Pride Rock, Rogers was examining Kiara's injured foot.

"How's it look?" the lioness asked.

Rogers smiled and said. "Nothing serious, just twisted your ankle is all."

Simba soon came out, looking a little cross. "A train. A train right through our hunting grounds!" he was muttering. "This doesn't bode well," he said as he came up to Kiara and Rogers.

Rogers turned to Simba. "She'll be alright, sire."

Simba nodded and flopped onto his stomach. "That train is going to change a lot of schedules. I don't want something like this happening again."

"What do you plan to do?" Rogers asked. "You can't change the world, sire. You're just one lion."

"You're right," Simba said. "But that doesn't change the fact that we have less land to move in. How long until we see human settlements coming through here? Or hunters?" He laid his head on his paws. "I can't change the world, but it'll certainly change us." Kiara said nothing.

Rogers turned to her. "By the way, how did you manage to get your paw out before the locomotive could hit you?"

Kiara shrugged. "It stopped before it could hit me, actually. The humans on the train were very nice! They were the ones who helped me out. It was really something, I thought for sure they'd do something more drastic..."

Simba looked surprised. The humans helped his daughter?

"Well," said Rogers. "That was...kind of them."

Simba nodded slowly. "Surprising. Most of the animals I've seen them interact with, they're just using them as food like us."

"Well, we humans need to eat too."

Simba shook his head. "No, I meant... I'm surprised they took the time to help her. I'm grateful of course, but... still. It's a good omen….Or so Rafiki would say," Simba added with a smile.


End file.
